My first thought on waking, was that I was happy. Not so much because I was living the life of a king (although I wasn't complaining about that), but because I had a reason for living: a mission. It was such a different feeling, having a purpose in life, to waiting around for the COVID restrictions to end. While Greyland was starting in a very difficult situation, I believed I could turn it around.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2H8GVzZgz
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcZG4ahKH1
For a start, I had to ramp up iron production and correct my earlier mistake. As my first action, I assigned the realm's three iron ingots to the Smithy for more steel pickaxes.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLf4XIH7avP
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpXMSCIlPr
Crucial to my success in this world would be my personal character progression. With some anxiety I called up my character sheet to see if I'd managed to improve it by my efforts of the previous day.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡue7pXQn6dK
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHO6iaO9W1
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwSMn3ikEH
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZEMYuDfGo
Str 7432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccpGKrqAox
Dex 4432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmsEkKD1Qu
Con 8432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwX1mNLJW9B
Int 16432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpgrp2rNIm
Wis 16432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATkGnTDpNQ
Cha 4432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UA9bprWDv
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9NN9WHQdA
Please choose a character archetype:432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQ2aYuWAGC
Fighter; Wizard; Healer; Scout432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKcXXLjvhz
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCL39Hon9Q
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPbVXCIJTH
Of course, neither my Strength of Constitution had shifted. I sighed to myself. How many more days of exercise would it take to test whether those stats would rise? Should I give it a week and then give in and choose a Wizard or Healer path? The people who had summoned me here wanted a battlefield leader and my own desire led me to want to be a martial class of some sort. But it would be idiotic to aim for that if I was stuck with these stats.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVr3x7x6HI9
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzZLvukJKY
Then I noticed the final attribute, Charisma. It had gone from 3 to 4. Yes! Yes! And again Yes!432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUaalkDplJ
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUIwNgv6Te
Stats could be worked on. A glow of pleasure rushed through me. Okay, so it wasn't a Fighter stat that had moved, but really, after one day, even if I had focused on Strength, I could hardly have expected to see progress. I had a hunch that the reason I'd seen Charisma move was that it was a lot easier to raise a 3 to a 4 than a 7 to an 8.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYN7FavPDr
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHNtdCKMnN
Following that last thought, I had to admit to myself that it might take months to move Strength to something useful in battle, but even so I decided to take the risk and commit to Fighter. It was time to get going. I missed being the most bad-ass warrior in Storm Wars and couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to be on top of the game be like in a world where it really mattered? Still, it was pointless, counterproductive even, to daydream. There was a mountain to climb. And I hadn't even taken one step yet towards the summit.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQknuSw2Nq
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dnFvyjDIU
I selected Fighter and got a message:432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX0iS9OUFs
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdH7I7LbrgV
Welcome Sean de Courcy, to the path of the Fighter. You have chosen to stand toe to toe with your foes, dealing blows to them and evading their own attempts to harm you. It is a path for the brave and for the resolute. If you are fortunate and progress, in due course you will unlock specialisations within the Fighter class.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvVfa0Nb0T
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2LdgA3aKm
You will also unlock new skills by discovering them through action. For now, you have 10 skill points to assign among the following:432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJyQ4Rywsq
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGJ8dddwRr
Bash: action, shield users only, additional attack with shield432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSPSwoONJG
Block: passive, shield users only, wards melee attacks if successful432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKAU75G9if
Deflect: passive, shield users only, wards missile attacks if successful432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFwfBBjddX
Defensive Stance: passive, reduces damage of hits received if successful432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhD5OG4SEmL
Dodge: passive, avoid an opponent's attack432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5qZTQxFgC
Grapple: action, unarmed attack that restricts opponent if successful432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsTHPs7YwG
Lunge: action, pointed weapons only, additional attack at up to +1m range432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQI9jNpg4Cc
Parry: passive, intercept your opponent's attack with your main hand weapon432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkYuLnWxAC
Quick draw: action, produce hidden or sheathed weapon432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7OxAJGLVj
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEbZQuZGTu
Quite a lot to think about there. And I had to make my choice right away, as the screen couldn't be flicked away in the usual fashion. Generally, I preferred a min-max approach to RPG gaming. It was usually better to be really good at one skill and adapt your strategy to that skill than to have no particular specialism and be somewhat competent at everything. Ideally, I would have had a taste of fighting before make my choice, so as to get a feel for what would be the best skill to invest in. Here, though, there was going to be a lot of guesswork.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9a9d634Jsp
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDDI5WOhcZ
On the assumption I'd have the support of the high level people who had summoned me, I decided I should focus on attack rather than defence. Back in Storm Wars defence was crucial but here, at the low levels at least, I felt it best to try to rack up experience fast through killing mobs. Lunge appealed most, surely an extra attack and a bit more range on an attack was going to prove useful? When I tried to put my ten points into the skill, however, I got a message.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIofK6Zu54
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKaHXnXCAKx
Skills are capped at Level x 5432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMpHX8qXpi
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ63odD1Tms
Adding 5 points to Lunge worked. So for my other choice? Was I going to use a shield? Probably but not necessarily. I didn't know what weapons were going to be available to me here. Parry then. While Quick draw had its appeal, it was very situational. Whereas pretty much every fight I was in would involve the opportunity to parry.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02c5on5Eht
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGQ5Vj94Qw
My character sheet now had my class and skills, also, an EXP bar, showing that I needed 100 to get to Level 2 and HP. I had hit points! Not many though. And an armour class that at 0 probably reflected the fact that I had no armour on at all. Even if I did, that poor Dexterity score probably carried a penalty.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1Yszj8r09
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZt2xsc9ch
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdPpxn3cOQ
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUcSfBSLcT
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGF9cdGl4Uf
Fighter, Level 1 HP 8 AC 0432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueyAIFey1K
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDkoRpt3dW
Str 7432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXnXg63jir
Dex 4432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwVhnpiCiK
Con 8432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOhCh5q8fU
Int 16432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMUBZL8lwX
Wis 16432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5CtdMp5bh
Cha 4432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOvGXtPRfr
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xAfFcUYPd
Lunge 5432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhyrmAapw8
Parry 5432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7I5ffPrqhP
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZjVbUyuHq
Exp 5/100432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIorrdZPM9p
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6xeo2UUGK
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmKga3ap5D
With the help of the PCs in Greyland, I should be able to level up fast.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDNEStXbPW
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkMau3gbjG
If it wasn't for my heavy body, I'd have leapt out of bed with a spring in my step and an eager desire to get going. As it was, I had to lever myself up and then struggle with every single garment before managing to get dressed. It didn't help that I ached all over from yesterday's marching around the barracks square. At last, I was presentable and down I went to breakfast.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQs8FpHyFk
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOz9SVBv3WU
Today, the castle servants were ready for me and along with a glass of apple juice was a bowl with more apples and a plate with two poached eggs. I felt desperately hungry and was tempted, when a new servant tentatively approached, to ask for more. But I had to get down to a size where armour could fit me and a horse could carry me. So I had to diet. End of. Back home, I had sometimes tried to cut out unhealthy snacks, and managed for a while, before invariably returning to them and sometimes bingeing while hooked up to Storm Wars. Here, I felt differently. Here, getting the king's body into shape was just as important as levelling up and sorting out Greyland's food supply. There was no 'Will I? Won't I?' discussion to be had with myself. It had to be done.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSxKkrMfJR
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cC5X1RWyp
After breakfast, I left the keep and walked slowly in the direction of the barracks. The citizens of the town hurried away from me or redoubled their efforts if they were working. For the first time, I noticed that stored away in the shadowy corner of a large cobbled square was a gibbet and a chopping block. Had my predecessor really executed people by hanging and beheadings? It was not a question I could ask anyone except one of the three who had been there at the summoning.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSe3exrgLO
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCowVzucvgV
The soldiers were already drilling when I got to the barracks and I was pleased to see archers firing at straw scarecrows. Thirteen, fourteen… yet fifteen. Those were my new recruits. It might have been a dumb move using up all my iron before the steel pickaxes were completed but I was glad to see the archers all the same.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcU5Nc4FYHl
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtg5CzXh7K
Carradock was there, marching some foot soldiers back and forth. He passed the duty to one of the men and came over at a brisk walk on seeing me.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzH9F8Z4nn0
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRreuAxHTX
'How are you today sire? Able to continue?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO8H9FY1QH
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4dZaGSgiq
'Stiff, but yes.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyvvxMSgVb
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2cA4Lb5GH
'I suggest another march then. Sixty circuits.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxt9gXgRppn
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zBH4iyCQM
'Right so. Before I set off, I've a question you might know the answer to.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXVGwIPjDH
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvz3qJK08b
He looked at me expectantly.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUjT22rfbv
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9nobY5RwW
'I just learned the Lunge skill. Do you know how I utilise it?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyiuCLfeEJ
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CiFenXVeI
Surprise, then caution crossed the trainer's face. 'Not I sire. Skills like what you're talking about are special. You need to talk to someone like Lord Arval.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tC1EPt9he
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5dnSvTfs5
'Good idea. Send someone to fetch him will you.' As was my nature, I almost added 'please', but no doubt that would be taking my change in character too far.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhvPdWCDHl
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZ7Q7XmLXs
On lap six, Lord Arval fell in step. 'Sire?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6zjlsMkdv
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSzb8Jst33
'Two questions.' I already felt the need to be economical with my breath. 'Active skills like Lunge, how do I use them? And what's the quickest way for me to level up? Got some giant bats I can kill?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4LmdHnAWQ
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfnlfxCmGf
'Skills? You'll see them as selectable icons when the right conditions are met. I mean when timers are ready; or the right weapon is in hand; or you've moved yourself into the right position. Skills are very experiential. You get to discover them and advance them mostly by practice.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaaBU2Ngee
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfpLqyuj7G
I nodded, hands swinging like pendulum weights as I strode determinedly around the square.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpAsV2Iyyo
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySl6rd4fFj
Lord Arval kept pace effortlessly. 'For levelling up, I think quests. Without access to the menus I can't be exact, but I felt that just by performing chores for the townspeople I became significantly stronger. Perhaps reaching level three or four.' He gave me a sharp look. 'It helps with your reputation with them too.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBAptHpbP4
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVpqi6EsY1
'Good. I'll be done here by midday, come with me this afternoon and show me these quests.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbWndzViSz
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOB2Kw5xCd
First checking no one was close enough to overhear us, Lord Arval leaned closer and dropped his voice. 'I'd never disagree with a command of yours, but I was intending to take the new archers down to Three-Ways Fort and check on our defences. I could ask Carlena to show you the easiest town quests?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvslw3cru2e
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINEiOd4yLh
I caught his – grey – eyes and gave the slightest of nods.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhgixkr2zj
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0DTNmaMyQ
'Very good sire,' Lord Arval spoke loudly and deferentially. 'As you ask, so it will be.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEzSGe8Lol
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobZTGli8GY
The laps today were a little easier and even a soft rain didn't deter me. Walking was good for studying the menus too and I drilled down into the kingdom's various options, reading up on descriptions of buildings and balancing their various benefits against the immediate need to solve our food problem and be able to resist an attack if Southway and Trolland continued their alliance.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DoB76PEFo
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03tTZmyuCv
After I finally completed my sixty laps, I took a salute from Carradock and went back to the keep for a bath and change of clothes. Then I sat in the very large throne in the large hall on the second floor, the solar they called it. Outside, beyond the lead crosses that contained the window glass, the day was still grey. I could have rested there, alone, for some time, but Carlena arrived and waving away the servants who had brought her to me, came over.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21imJLyGhW
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlo7EdyeYZ1
'You wanted me to help with quests?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzp3vpskuJ
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbT1PfI8ob
'Yes please. I've started as a Fighter but, honestly, I'm not in the shape to hit things yet. So quests are perfect. And Lord Arval said they would level me fast.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Fj4gqhWy1
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSAHLO9rrx
'Yes, they will. At least, they got me to my third spell. After that, you'll need to battle monsters. Also, your combat skills won't increase unless you do.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0mKm9FITP
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR9czCuqMk
'Right so, let's go and do some quests.' It was painful, moving again after being seated for a while. But pain meant gain, right? And I had the incentive of levelling up to encourage me.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tpzvfL3GR
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jqFX5DvtH
'It's been a while since I did these…' She looked thoughtful, long, silver hair tied back so I could see her severe face clearly. 'And try to be more like King Carlos. Everyone is talking about you. About how you've changed.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZLzB93MWe
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUe3H2V9CP
'He was a thug, right?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizzNxG1NB2
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcOxZcIoPF
'More of a sly creature, like a fox. Watching and waiting … then punishing. Never trusting anyone. You didn't know where you were with him. Not even me, who – forgive the lack of modesty – is the most important person in the kingdom. There was a time when I thought he was going to hang me for treason. Even though that would mean no sorcerer for our battles.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzITtBFTDHf
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMjJ3jyMQn
Having reached the large, double doors Carlena went silent and waited for me to lead her out. From just behind my right shoulder, she muttered directions as we walked down narrow cobbled streets until we came to a bakery.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6pufV0wQ0
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnm5D6zvSGE
'In there is a female baker who needs a large rat killed.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1MYGu9Fk3
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBp43XxhVNV
I barged in, under the swinging sign of a loaf of bread. My bulky body made a small room feel even smaller: counter with several loaves; bare planks for floors; whitewashed walls; back room with an aroma of newly baked bread that made my mouth water.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AysaTDK1Q
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCMqAtwtWW
A boy, about ten years old, was sweeping dust. His mouth dropped open. A thin woman behind the counter looked at me with pure horror, then said quietly, 'Miya bless me!'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiP8iyMTxah
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBORYr3oDT
'I believe you have a problem with a rat?'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwiljBJfEz
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Jnu0ezVBu
No one moved or spoke, until the boy dropped his brush and ran. Then the woman did the same.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnpS0BpAri
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZ5gn4xdw0
'Guards!' yelled Carlena. When two soldiers came running, she instructed them to bring the baker back.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKszRJlWQI9
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnx9wD52ra
Feeling impatient, I tried to strum my thick fingers on the wooden counter top, but couldn't, they just thumped down in a group. My crappy Dexterity? Or simply lack of practice with this body?432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJV4vWEzjA
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSr8LOzRzY
At last the guards returned, holding the woman between them. She was clearly terrified and I would have said something comforting, except that Carlena wanted me to stay in character.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhp4vCq2tbd
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgFQrxDSyO
'You have a task?' I asked.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqJyKJbCp0
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC962xzJAa2
'But…' she was looking at the floor. 'But… you've already done it.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKQCQbdij2
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJp2yUmEzp
I shot a glance of alarm at Carlena who remained perfectly impassive. No doubt for the benefit of the guards.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVzaYybkwG
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQjyS8N0xU
'Give it to me again.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1gfAO4XU7
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfmFuQpMfA
'I can't sire, I really can't. Please don't kill me, I have three children.'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpYEqVqpDj
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNmqZ4NRoW
'Just try. Just say the words. I'm sure it will work. Go ahead!'432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXogC0Nmjg
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1yPdmy90d
But she couldn't. Her mouth opened and closed without a sound coming out. Tears ran down her face.432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHY2LWY5kr7
432Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdTjVNdHTu
Exasperated and not wanting to cause the baker to suffer any further, I strode back outside, took a second to orientate myself, and set off back toward the keep. Levelling up was going to require a rethink.
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